NUW CHAPTERS IN THE WARFARE OF SCIENCE. 437 



treatment, and out of this mixture were evolved such prescriptions 

 as the following : 



" If an elf or a goblin come, smear his forehead with this salve, 

 put it on his eyes, cense him with incense, and sign him frequently 

 with the sign of the cross/' 



" For a fiend-sick man : When a devil possesses a man, or controls 

 him from within with disease, a spew-drink of lupin, bishopswort, 

 henbane, garlic. Pound these together, add ale and holy water/' 



And again: "A drink for a fiend-sick man, to be drunk out of a 

 church-bell : Githrif e, cynoglossum, yarrow, lupin, flower-de-luce, 

 fennel, lichen, lovage. Work up to a drink with clear ale, sing 

 seven masses over it, add garlic and holy water, and let the pos- 

 sessed sing the Beati Immacnlati ; then let him drink the dose 

 out of a church-bell, and let the priest sing over him the Domine 

 Sande Pater Omnipotens." * 



Had this been the worst treatment of lunatics developed in the 

 theological atmosphere of the middle ages, the world would have 

 been spared some of the most terrible chapters in its history ; but, 

 unfortunately, the idea of the Satanic possession of lunatics led 

 to attempts to punish the indwelling demon. As this theological 

 theory and practice became more fully developed, and ecclesiasti- 

 cism more powerful to enforce it, all mildness began to change, or 

 to be driven into remote corners of Christendom ; the admonitions 

 to gentle treatment by the great pagan and Moslem physicians 

 were forgotten, and the treatment of lunatics tended more and 

 more toward severity ; more and more generally it was felt that 

 cruelty to madmen was punishment of the devil residing within 

 or acting upon them. 



A few strong churchmen and laymen made efforts to resist this 

 tendency. As far back as the fourth century, Nemesius, Bishop of 

 Emesa, accepted the truth as developed by pagan physicians, and 

 aided them in strengthening it. In the seventh century, a Lom- 

 bard code embodied a similar effort. In the eighth century, one 

 of Charlemagne's capitularies seems to have had a like purpose. 

 In the ninth century, that great churchman and statesman, Ago- 

 bard. Archbishop of Lyons, superior to his time in this as in so 

 many other things, tried to make right reason prevail in this field ; 

 and, near the beginning of the tenth century, Regino, Abbot of 

 Priim, in the diocese of Treves, insisted on treating possession as 

 disease. But all in vain ; the current streaming most directly 

 from sundry texts in the Christian sacred books, and swollen by 

 theology, had become overwhelming, f 



* See Cockayne, " Leeehdoms, Wort-cunning, and Star-Craft of Early England " (in the 

 Rolls Series), ii, 17*7 ; also 355, 356. For the great value of priestly saliva, see W. W. 

 Story's interesting essays. 



f For a very thorough and interesting statement on the general subject, see Kircbhof, 



